The Memorial Garden of Holy Cross

“In Life and in Death we belong to the Lord.”

When I stand in the memorial garden I feel a sense of life, love and peace. Our memorial garden is a place for healing, a place for thinking and a place that surrounds one in the beauty of life. I invite you to visit the garden and experience this personally. —Holy Cross Parishioner Bob Hawes

The Vision

It makes sense to Christians who have lived life in the Church that the Church might serve as our final resting place for burial. From cradle to grave, from baptism to burial, we mature in Christ. Mortal life does not end in death; we continue forever in the Risen Life of Jesus Christ our Lord. Our beautiful memorial garden celebrates all of life, mortal and immortal. Under a canopy of fir trees, the path runs alongside the playground where happy children’s voices chime in the air, meanders through lush gardens and monuments, and ends at the quiet columbarium.

The Life Circle: Celebrating Life

The first circle in the Memorial Garden celebrates life. Comfortable tables and chairs invite you to slow down and spend some time. Children’s voices may fill the air; at other times the only sounds may be birdsong or the breeze whispering through the cathedral of Douglas Firs overhead. This is a place alive and ever changing. Engraved bricks commemorate thanksgivings, births, baptisms, graduations, weddings, and anniversaries: the celebrations of life. In this balance point of the garden, you stand in the midst of new life and life eternal. The Life Circle also serves as a gathering pavement for memorial services held in the other garden rooms.

The Path and the Fountain

Water is the symbol of everlasting life. On the waters of Noah’s flood, through the waters of the Red Sea Exodus, in the waters of the Jordan River Crossings, the spiritually thirsty woman drawing from Jacob’s Well, and we in birth and in our baptism: all enter into the risen life of Jesus through water. Near streams of living water God revives the shepherd’s soul. And in heaven a spring of living water pours from the New Jerusalem where we shall never thirst again.

The Columns

The Columns-three imposing columns of native basalt-rise from a paved stone circle. The image echoes the three crosses on Calvary, with Christ in the center and the sinners to either side of him. Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. The center column is engraved with the Twenty-third Psalm. The side columns are available for inscribing the names of those who have died. Here is a place to remember those whose ashes are buried or whose ashes are scattered elsewhere. The garden is for the direct burial of ashes in the ground.

The Columbarium Niches

The word columbarium comes from a columba, the Latin for “dove,” modeled after dovecotes. Each niche can contain two urns of cremated remains. A plaque on the front of the niche displays name and dates of birth and death. Inlaid in the columbarium plaza is a large Jerusalem cross, our church’s namesake, to remind us of Christ’s victory over death: We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do you have to be a member of Holy Cross to purchase a niche or to have a name inscribed in the Memorial Garden?

A. Use of the Memorial Garden is available to current and former members of Holy Cross and their families. Exceptions may be made if approved jointly by the Rector and the People’s Warden.

Q. Can a niche be reserved in advance of need?

A. Yes. You may reserve and purchase a niche under the terms of documents governing the Memorial Garden. Making arrangements in advance may ease the burden left for family or loved ones.

Q. If my plans change, can I resell my niche?

A. After the niche has been purchased, but prior to interment of any ashes in the niche, the purchaser has the option to sell or donate the rights to the niche back to Holy Cross. The resale price will be the original price paid or the then-current purchase price, whichever is less.

Q. How does the cost of a cemetery niche compare with the cost of a niche at Holy Cross?

A. The typical cost of a niche for double use at a cemetery in King County is $3000. The price of a niche in the Holy Cross Memorial Garden is $2000; one niche will house two urns.

Q. What is the cost to inscribe a name and the dates of birth and death on one of The Columns?

A. The cost is $1000.

Q. Is perpetual care of the Garden guaranteed?

A. Yes. Part of the cost of a niche is for the ongoing maintenance of the Memorial Garden. Further, an endowment fund has been established for the purpose of maintaining and improving the Garden.

Q. Can I place the remains of my beloved pet in the Memorial Garden?

A. No. The Memorial Garden is only for cremated human remains.

Q. Will the grounds of the Memorial Garden be accessible for future visits and reflection?

A. Yes. The garden is open during daylight hours year round.

Putting Your Affairs in Order

The following list may be helpful as you get your affairs in order. The Diocese of Olympia makes a Life Planning manual available upon request. Call: 1-800-488-4978.

Personal Records. At the time of a person’s sudden illness or death, family members or friends are often faced with the need for certain information. It is extremely helpful for them to have access to a record of insurance papers, marriage and birth certificates, military discharge papers, bank account numbers, investments, etc.

A Will/Living Trust. Almost everyone of legal age needs a will. Making a will is your opportunity to express in legal terms your priorities and concerns for the people and institutions in your life. It is important to update your will each time your situation changes significantly, such as when you move to another state, your marital status changes, a family member is born or dies, you retire, etc.

Durable Power of Attorney. A Power of Attorney lets one person grant to another the power or right to undertake certain acts on behalf of the other person.

Living Will (Health Care Power of Attorney). You may make provisions to give authority to someone else to make health care decisions in case of your incapacitation. You may also want to specify in advance how you want decisions to be made about life-sustaining treatment at the time of dying.